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Sangster International Airport (SIA), operated by MBJ Airports Limited (MBJ), has again been name the Caribbean’s Leading Airport at the World Travel Awards (WTA) hosted at Sandals Grande St Lucian, St Lucia, last Saturday.

SIA emerged as the winner from a pool of 13 Caribbean competitors nominated for the prestigious award. The accolade was first bestowed on SIA in 2005, again in 2009 and each year to date.

“We are honoured to be named the Caribbean’s Leading Airport for the 15th consecutive year. This award is a testament to the dedication and tireless efforts of our entire airport team, and spans all agencies and team members who work diligently to ensure consistently high standards and service excellence. We remain steadfast in our efforts to transform Sangster International Airport to ensure a passenger-centric, sustainable, efficient and safe airport operation,” said Shane Munroe, chief executive officer of MBJ Airports Limited.
Sources:Jamaica-gleaner.com

The largest airport in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Well, I guess we can lay to rest all those who challenged me sometime ago defending the airport in Barbados.

By the silience, no argument here!

In reply to Slipfeeler

For me, Antigua has the best airport in the Caribbean.

But I would not even rate Sangster airport ahead of Norman Manley airport. The number of arriving passengers have outgrown Sangster's capacity. So over-crowding is a major issue at Sangster during certain hours of the day.

In reply to Walco

Still will always be historically a larger airport than Norman Manley and caters to millions more passengers than any other airport in the English Speaking Caribbean. Are they still using mobile steps at Antigua airport like the last time when I was there, while Sangsters was already using modern jetways??

In reply to Slipfeeler
Your Last Visit to Antigua was Obviously Before 2015

If the only criterion is the number of annual arrivals, Sangster wins. But I have been stuck in long lines and cramped areas flying into and out of Mobay too many times to rate Sangster highly.

In reply to Walco

Agreed that a further expansion of Sangster's International Airport is now very obvious, due to the large influx of visitors to Jamaica, of which Sangsters welcomes most of those passengers, with an unbelievable number of flights. As evident when the airport was closed for a few hours and at least 50 flights were already affected, which demonstrates the volume of the number of flights. Expansion might have been hampered from back in the days when Butch Stewart, SIP, built his Sandals Hotel almost on the runway of the airport, without prior approval from the St. James Parish Council. Not a word from local or central government at the time.

In reply to Slipfeeler

I have never seen this much activity at MBJ as depicted in this video a couple weeks ago. It featured a huge USAF C-17 Globemaster landing there that day.

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In reply to JayMor

Just recently a large US Air Force Jet landed there and people are still mystified as who were the US officials onboard, as they were picked by an entourage of waiting vehicles and security forces.

In reply to Slipfeeler

Expansion might have been hampered from back in the days when Butch Stewart, SIP, built his Sandals Hotel almost on the runway of the airport, without prior approval from the St. James Parish Council. Not a word from local or central government at the time.
That's how Jamaica runs and will always run.



That put paid to plans and talk from the 70s for expansion to two runways for simultaneous landings and takeoffs.Whetether that would be feasible we will never know.
But before Stewart, there were other developments that abutted the airport area and which inhibited expansion too as no one could foresee the future
that is now.

Sangster was always the much larger of the two major Airports as NWM does not have the space for any expansion such as another runway.
And being the Hub for Tourism destination, Sangster should have become THE International airport of English Speaking Caribbean .
and being less than 100 miles from Guantanamo in Cuba ,an alternative for US Air Force deployments in 'emergency' situations.

But as they sayin JA ,,, AH So It Go.

Watch this link:

https://youtu.be/9fCsAc6c37I?si=LZYVm-LMxUlA7VJx

In reply to Slipfeeler

Same link I posted, Slippie. I was saying I had never seen MBJ as busy as it was that day.

The C-17's departure a couple days later is here.

--Æ.

Ok! I prefer to think Great Minds…. rather than Fools Seldom….

In reply to Slipfeeler



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